<p>Oh, bless you toneranger! I needed some support for an older home. I just drove home from visiting what looks like it will be my new “older” home (though on this rollercoaster ride, I’m not going to let go until the ride stops). I debated all the way home on how to tell my dear CC friends…oh that old knob & tube will probably drive my crazy…but while I was out with my realtor looking at other possibilities, the agent for the L-shaped house called - the seller has finally woken up to the realities of this housing market and come down in price substantially. I told my agent I needed one more look at the L-shaped house before I decided so we stopped by. Yes, this is the house(subject to inspections). I love the light, I love the yard. I love the way the rooms are laid out. Its smaller than the new houses (a good thing, I have to remind myself that S is in love and the girls are off to college in the South…so I’ll have rooms for them to come home to, but I won’t be swimming in a huge empty home when they’re away). There’s a room I’ll turn into an office & another room just off the garage that will be a studio for my messy art projects(garden sculptures & mosaic). And its on nearly .2 acres so there’s room for a studio at a later date. Oh, yes, the yard is big enough I can have a couple of backyard chickens without violating any city zoning rules. Oh I’ll be so happy to have a couple of chicks again! And as I’m off fantasizng about my new life, I remind myself that this has been a rollercoaster ride & until I hand over the keys to my Oakland house & the agent hands me the keys the L-shaped house nothing is certain. Maybe its better to think of DS and I sitting along side the highway, the car shaking with every semi that drove by and turning to DS and saying something like “The Price is Right isn’t looking good right now.” One never knows what will happen…</p>
<p>Hey—glad to hear the sellers woke up and turned off some of those warning bells. Older homes have their own little quirky personalities–Newer houses are just new. I’m with mommusic—I’ve long known that I couldn’t remotely imagine making the number of decisions that are necessary when building a new house. We are up to our necks in working on the house we are rehabbing,just down the street from our real house. (It was built in 1963, and last rehabbed in late 70’s). We got a rare glimpse into the original owners when H took out the original (crappy) kitchen cabinets—there were some papers that had fallen down and were beneath the cabinets. Found the original mailing address (Rural Route, post office was in a different town than now), and a couple of “to do” lists… and an old report card from a middle school that no longer exists…my hs daughter was intrigued…“wow, this is how they did it before computers!!!”</p>
<p>You’ve got to get past that next corkscrew set of turns on your roller coaster ride—the inspections----we’ll keep our collective CC fingers crossed. Oh, I can’t wait until Nov 8 to see you “in person!!!”</p>
<p>oaklandmom, </p>
<p>Eh, we’re easy. You’re happy, we’re happy. It’s all about the fit like at those “theme parks” right?</p>
<p>We’re hanging in there with you.</p>
<p>Nope. I’m not happy. The house is too small - where will we all stay when we come to visit?</p>
<p>j/k - As Mythmom said so well, You’re happy, we’re happy.</p>
<p>binx
just come while the kids are all in school - then I’ll have 3 bedrooms plus the sleeper sofa in the living room or everyone can bring sleeping bags & we’ll have a slumber party! ;)</p>
<p>Oaklandmom – I don’t want to miss the show – Nov. 8 (this Thursday?) you say? What channel, what time in your neck of the woods (which is also my neck of the woods)?</p>
<p>A slumber party with Binx – can I come?</p>
<p>mstee,
the show is on this Thursday, Nov 8. 10 a.m. Here its channel 5 (the station is CBS). If you can’t watch it on t.v. it will be on-line at [Price</a> is Right on CBS](<a href=“http://www.cbs.com/daytime/price/video/]Price”>http://www.cbs.com/daytime/price/video/) after 3 pm pacific time on Nov. 8 </p>
<p>& of course, the slumber party is for all my CC friends!</p>
<p>oaklandmom,</p>
<p>This story is sooo much better than fiction. All the big events are coming together at the same time. You sold your house, the show is airing, and you may be getting your new house…I can’t wait for the season finale!! :)</p>
<p>FWIW, I have always been a fan of older homes…They have so much personality. And I totally agree that you would regret a big house with too many empty corners (just gathering dust)! Also, there is no such thing as THE perfect house…But there is a perfect house just for YOU!</p>
<p>
And it’s one that won’t be affected by the writers’ strike - no writer could concoct this story!</p>
<p>Here comes support for an older house…
My house is about 30 years old, kind of craftsman house. We have been in it for over 5 years now. Our friends, who were at that time shopping for a house, showed it to us asking for an opinion. My husband fell in love with the structure immediately and since the price was very reasonable for the neighborhod, he advised our friends to put an offer. I have not seen it at that time, we had a building lot in another part of town and were busy finalizing plans with a builder, on a structure that was designed by my girlfriend, an architect. Two weeks go by, we are meeting with our friends for a movie and my H asks if they put in the offer. They said no, they changed their mind. The house was not for them. We watch the movie. Say goodbye to our friends. Get in the car. Husband says I have to see this house. What house? The one our friends were looking at. We drive. It is late February or early March. Around 10 P.M. Ligh snow is falling. We pull to the curb, the house is almost not visible from the street as it sits in a middle of a 0.6 acre lot, sorrounded by trees. Six globe lights , capped in snow, light our way to the door. It is OK to walk around, the owners are in Europe.
I fall in love with the house setting. The trees, so scarse in our dessert climate, give this house incredible privacy. I feel kind of bad though walking around an inhabited house in the middle of the night. I come back, the next day, by myself. The snow has stopped falling, everything is white an quiet. The outside of the house is brick and wood shingle. Shaker shingled roof, private driveaway, entrance to the house not visible from the street (trees!!!). I love it. That night we brainstorm. Call our friends and tell them that we are interested in this house.They are schocked, but give us a green light - they are not interested. We summon a friend agent and see the house the following day. The furnishings are horrible, window coverings are awful, but the layout is perfect. We look at a way of renovating it - my H LOVES renovating houses. The house is way larger from what we were thinking of building, close to 5,000 sq. feet.
The same evening we put an offer in - which gets faxed to Europe. We call our friends and tell them how excited we are. Go to bed.
Phone call at 6 A.M. Our friends tell us to withdraw our offer, they have decided to go ahead and place their own. We tell them how much we offered and say that we won’t counteroffer if their bid will be higher. They place an offer. I do not know how much they offered, but we ended up buying the house.
We still talk to our friends, although we are not close any more.
But this was supposed to be about the love for my older house. It is just perfect. We have done lots of remodelling since: new kitchen, new bathroom, we took down bearing walls and placed beams, replaced carpet and put wood and heated slate. New deck, new doors, right now we are in the process of remodelling our master suite.
It looks great all year but especially at Christmas. Everybody wants to have a christmas party at our house, it has this special winter feeling, with 3 wood fireplaces going on at full blast. The trees give as superb privacy, something not even remotely possible in a new development. In summer, when trees are covered with leaves, I can’t see houses next door.
It is big, but not cluttered. Has the old house feeling , with all wood trims, wooden windows, wood doors. Huge (albeit messy) laundry room, that could double as my kitchen. Sits far from the street, nobody can look into my windows. Was very inexpensive.
See you tomorrow on TV :)</p>
<p>Kelowna - Very interesting story. And yeah, I loves trees and privacy too so older homes usually fit the bill. One issue with our current 30 year old home though…is a lack of peace and quiet. The highways near our home have expanded - and the noise is getting to be a problem. Wasn’t that bad when we move in many years ago. The convenience is great - it’s very close to stores and business/career opportunities. Most people aren’t bothered by the noise - but I am - and we end up shutting our windows or spending less time that we normally would on our deck. It’s sad.
Our solution? We bought a chalet in the woods as a second home (it’s old too) - about 3 hours from our home. Mountains and hiking nearby and lots of spas and good restaurants too. VERY quiet and peaceful. We get there about once a month for an escape and rent it out the rest of the time. It’s quite popular so it’s paying for itself! And it’s been a nice place to gather with family and friends. Once we get into semi-retirement, we’ll likely move to a different primary home. I love quiet places…</p>
<p>Kelowna - I kinda stumbled over that 6 a.m. phone call from your friends, telling you to withdraw the offer. That’s gall. You went out of your way to ask if it were okay with them. And they knew you’d placed an offer! It is amazing that they thought they could change their minds at that point.</p>
<p>The house sounds wonderful. 5,000 sq. ft. is huge. For some reason I always think of Craftsman houses as small. I Googled it to learn more. Is your house pictured here?
[Arts</a> and Crafts - Craftsman - House Style Picture Dictionary](<a href=“House Styles: The Look of the American Home”>House Styles: The Look of the American Home)</p>
<p>Honestly, I love visiting older homes. I always go on all the house tours when we are tourists somewhere. But I’ve lived in older homes, and realize that I do better with new. But I’m always ready to visit! Gotta buy some new jammies for the slumber party!</p>
<p>binx…Thanks for the link! I was pretty close in what I was imagining as a “Craftsman” style, but too lazy to google. H and I went to a function at the Van Landingham Estate (shown as the top of the Gallery pages) in Charlotte last month—cool, cool house…(and it also operates as a B & B).</p>
<p>re: pajamas for the slumber party at o-mom’s… check out [Pajamas</a> from PajamaGram: Unique Gift Ideas for Women - Pajamas for Mother’s Day, Valentines Day Gifts](<a href=“http://www.pajamagram.com/]Pajamas”>http://www.pajamagram.com/) --maybe we can all get matching PJ’s!!! They’re pricey, but I think a pair is going to be heading astroD’s way… </p>
<p>Back on track…Oaklandmom—when are the inspections scheduled?</p>
<p>I’m breathing a sigh of relief that you’re (fingers crossed) ending up with the older house. Also the owner of an older place here, 90 year old Craftsman bungalow, and they can’t be beat for homey comfort. The other advantage to an established neighborhood are the mixed age groups that hopefully live there. Newer places might tend to leave you surrounded by young families, which can be nice, however we tend to be at a different phase here on CC. </p>
<p>Great link to Craftsman house styles. Thanks.</p>
<p>I don’t watch TV, but am looking forward to TPIR! Who needs TV when we get updates to A Drop off Story…on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Kind of looks like my house, although there is no stone, just brick and lots of wood. Predominantly wood. Yes, it is huge, especially when it comes to cleaning. We have tons of open space.
But I don’t want to hijack this thread. Imagine how many cc-ers will be in front of TV tomorrow watching Oaklandmom. A sorority meeting, of sorts:)
I haven’t watch daytime TV in a long time…</p>
<p>Around here, a 30-year old house is new! Ours dates from the 1870s. I love the feeling of the house being settled (but it also has some settlement damage–can’t have everything :))</p>
<p>Kelowna… P-I-R starring our very own Oaklandmom is Thursday…</p>
<p>"Airdate: November 8, 2007 -----------------------------------------------</p>
<p>I finally found confirmation on the cbs website. Our show 4073K will be aired Nov. 8."</p>
<p>Thank you all, Kelowna - I loved your story. I too would fall in love with a house like that. & astrophysicsmom, as for matching p.j.'s - that is a great idea!<br>
As of now, I don’t know when inspections are scheduled. We seem to have hit another bump in the road. My buyers have decided they’d like to close in 30 days. They’d close in 21 days as originally scheduled…but only if I give them another credit of $5,000 for some repairs that were discovered during inspections. But the seller of the L-shaped house is not happy and is pushing to close in 21. As of last night, I left the realtors to sort it out. I’m fine with either 30 or 21 days…though I’d prefer 21. DS and I have a date on Dec 7 and I don’t want to break it but it will also be hard if I’ve just moved into my new place…our date is in Pasadena - a 6 hour drive from my new place or an hour flight. If it was just me, I wouldn’t worry about leaving the new place so soon, but I’ll need a sitter for the dogs & cats…and I haven’t found any one in my new town yet. (I guess I just added something to my to-do list: find pet sitter in new town). </p>
<p>And for those of you that wanted a reminder the day before: TPIR airdate: Nov 8, 2007. and its also available on-line at cbs.com (look for the price is right…or just look thru this thread and you should find a link). Thank for also noting the correct airdate, astrophysicsmom. </p>
<p>I must say I’m feeling very tired and cranky this morning. I hope it doesn’t sound that way in my writing. I’m so ready to get off this rollercoaster.</p>
<p>Do you think the Nielsen ratings will be elevated for TPIR tomorrow? 
I’m so happy that I have a built-in excuse to stay home. I have a plumber coming, and with what I expect him to have to do, “we” will be spending hours in each other’s company.</p>
<p>momof3…come clean…did you schedule the plumber after you got the airdate info!!!</p>